SETTABLOID

Thomas Partey has pulled out of international duty and will remain with Arsenal. Despite starting the weekend match win over Southampton, the decision has been made that will see the midfielder miss back-to-back games with Sudan in the African Cup of Nations qualifying process.

A statement released by the Ghana Football Association read: “Thomas is unable to join the Black stars due to medical issues he is currently experiencing, and his club has scheduled him for further tests in the coming days.”

This may indeed indicate an illness more so than an injury, however, there are yet to be confirmation regarding the specific reason for the absence. Should this issue cause him to miss games for Arsenal after the break, football.london has broken down three players who could replace him in the Gunners midfield.

Mikel Merino

Having finally made his debut after weeks of waiting, the hype is only growing around Mikel Merino. The Spaniard has come on against both PSG and Southampton and impressed in his cameos and received plenty of praise from manager Mikel Arteta.

Should Partey be out, Arteta could choose to start Declan Rice in the deeper role and use Merino as the other partnering defensive-minded midfielder. That said, Merino is very keen to progress play and move into offensive areas to support attacks and it is a dynamic many expected would be established after his signing at the expense of Partey.

Jorginho

Partey started the weekend’s clash with the Saints at right-back after injuries suffered by Ben White and Jurrien Timber have seen them forced to miss games. Takehiro Tomiyasu has since returned to fitness and both White and Timber are hopeful of returning to the squad after the break too meaning the unorthodox positioning of Partey was unlikely to continue.

Jorginho was the starting midfielder while Partey was in the back four. This therefore means that it is entirely possible while Merino’s minutes continue to be managed that the Italian becomes the starting figure ahead of games against Bournemouth and Liverpool in the league – the former Chelsea man got the man of the match award in the home win over the Reds last season.

Myles Lewis-Skelly

While mainly deployed as a left-back in his cameos so far, youth starlet Myles Lewis-Skelly came through the youth ranks as a midfielder. Known for his vision and passing execution, the youngster has already showcased these traits as he laid in Raheem Sterling to set up fellow youngster Ethan Nwaneri for his first senior goal against Bolton Wanderers.

If Arteta wants to go brave, or perhaps trial in the Champions League home game with Shakhtar Donetsk or League Cup clash with Preston North End, Lewis-Skelly could be a potential option, especially if partnered with the experience of Rice. Injuries and absences open doors for young players in the game and this could be exactly that and more.

Arsenal fans have been handed some concerning news before any of the international games of this break have even kicked off. Kai Havertz has withdrawn from the Germany squad for their Nations League matches due to a reported knee issue.

The forward has been Mikel Arteta’s chosen centre-forward for the start of the season, dislodging Gabriel Jesus and keeping the Brazilian on the bench. He has scored in seven Emirates Stadium home matches in a row, with his latest the important equaliser against Southampton last Saturday afternoon.

Very little is known about the severity of the problem, but in his stead, the Gunners have several options should they need to replace him. With that said, football.london round up the three potential alternatives that Arteta can choose from.

Gabriel Jesus

The first is the obvious and aforementioned Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian started the game with Southampton but endured a tricky performance, failing to both create much for his teammates and take any opportunities of his own as the Saints put on a strong defensive display.

Made worse was as he was replaced by Leandro Trossard, the Gunners managed to quickly score again to give themselves the lead. It might be though that a run of games will allow the former Manchester City player to find his form under Arteta.

Leandro Trossard

Trossard has been deputising for another key absentee over the past few weeks, Martin Odegaard. However, should Havertz not be available and the Spaniard wishes to instead choose someone other than Jesus then the Belgian is of course a good option who has played the role many times for the Gunners.

Leaving the midfield position, should the club captain not make it back after the international break will require a potential change in there too. Ethan Nwaneri is the name that many fans want to see find his way into the starting eleven before too long after some impressive cameos.

Raheem Sterling

Last but not least is Raheem Sterling who also made his first start of the Premier League season from the left against Southampton. He had a much better game than his fellow former City teammate Jesus but was unable to chip in with a goal or an assist.

Sterling, despite being known as mainly a wide player, has played as a central figure for both Liverpool, Manchester City and Chelsea. He has played more than 60 times in the central role scoring 25 and assisting a further ten.

It has been an excellent start to the Premier League season for Arsenal as they sit just one point off the lead despite playing three of their trickiest away fixtures in the first seven games with wins at Aston Villa and Tottenham whilst drawing with Manchester City. Unbeaten in all games, it is perhaps the worst time for the international break to arrive.

The second of the season so far, Arsenal will have to be content with yet another one next month as the cycle goes on. Yet for the Gunners, there are some positives with many players staying behind to work with Mikel Arteta.

The break allows the absence of domestic matches to pass by days of recovery for many members of the squad. There is a total of 11 senior figures who will be present at the Sobha Realty Training Centre over the next week-plus.

There are six players currently classed as injured: Kai Havertz, Martin Odegaard, Kieran Tierney, Jurrien Timber, Ben White and Oleksandr Zinchenko are all recovering from knocks. Havertz only pulled out of the German squad on Sunday evening with complaints of a knee issue hoped not to be serious and more precautionary.

While injured, although active full-team training is unlikely, the players can work on rehabilitation, tactical insights and in some cases light exercises and ball work. Arteta can use this time effectively and Mikel Merino has certainly had the benefits while being out since his arrival and only just last week returned to action.

Takehiro Tomiyasu is another, like Merino, who has returned to full fitness and made an appearance in the win over Southampton. He has not been called up to the Japan squad as it was thought best for his minutes to be managed and recovery prioritised.

Goalkeeper Neto will be the most senior figure at the club as David Raya is with Spain. He will be working with some of the youth stoppers like 16-year-old Jack Porter who made his debut before the on-loan Bournemouth keeper.

Jorginho is another older member of the squad, not called up for the games with Italy. His minutes have diminished significantly and there have been rumours of the former Chelsea midfielder looking to further his coaching knowledge which may well get greater attention in this week off from domestic football.

Thomas Partey has also now pulled out of international duty with Ghana. Reported to be a medical issue will see him miss games with Sudan.

Gabriel Jesus and Raheem Sterling are the final pair who have not been called up by Brazil and England respectively. The pair certainly have hopes of returning to international action and will hope breaking into the Arsenal first team in the near future will help with that.